Lugano Global Forum 2026

Registration

Opening remarks and partner welcome

Alan Friedman, Michele Foletti, Luca Pedrotti, Paolo Mondia, Joe Sarno, and Claudio Bassetti.

Director’s introduction to Lugano Global Forum 2026 and to Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS

Opening Message from Ottawa

Melanie Joly, Minister of Trade and Industry, Canada

The View from Switzerland: How to Navigate the New World Disorder

Alan Friedman in conversation with Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS.

The View from Washington

E.J. Dionne, Brookings Fellow and veteran Washington Post political columnist

Commentary and discussion

With E.J. Dionne, Lionel Barber and Bill Emmott. Moderated by Alan Friedman.

Coffee break and networking in Room 1

The View from Beijing: China and the New Global Order

Zichen Wang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. Introduced by Sally Bundock.

Commentary and discussion

With Bill Emmott, Bernardino Regazzoni and Giampiero Massolo. Moderated by Sally Bundock.

The View from the Gulf

Keynote address TBD

Commentary and discussion

With Luigi Di Maio, Barbara Cimmino and Lionel Barber. Moderated by Sally Bundock.

Buffet lunch at LAC

Opening of the Boîte d’Or experiential space with Alberto Prandoni

The space remains open Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday.

Breakout Session A, Refectory: High Impact Philanthropy

Lynn Fritz, Riccardo Braglia, Helga Piaget, Luc Pettavino. Moderated by Alan Friedman.

Breakout Session B, Room One: Europe’s Future

Giampiero Massolo, Bernardino Regazzoni and Barbara Cimmino. Moderated by Antonio Di Bella.

Coffee break and networking in Room 1

Special address

Ambassador Callista Gingrich, United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Special Address: The View from Europe

Paolo Gentiloni, former Prime Minister of Italy and former European Commissioner for the Economy.

Roundtable

Putin and Trump, Putin, Trump, and Xi. The War in Ukraine and Europe. The War in Iran and Europe. The Future of NATO, The Rise of the Pro-Russia Far Right in Germany and France, The bond markets vs. Bessent and implications for the ECB, The dollar and the euro. Panellists: Paolo Gentiloni, Fabio Natalucci, Giampiero Massolo, Bernardino Regazzoni. Moderator: Sally Bundock.

The View from Switzerland

Hélène Budliger Artieda, State Secretary and Director, SECO. Introduced by Alan Friedman.

Swiss Business Leaders in a Changing World

Monika Rühl, Anja Fiedler and Suzanne Thoma. Moderated by Mercedes Ruehl.

Audience questions

The View from Southeast Asia. The Iran war, the Ukraine war, the rise of China, seen from Kuala Lumpur. Plus: Election Fever: Can Malaysian Democracy Deliver? Is Malaysia Truly Asia?

Special Address by Dato’ Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Leader of the Opposition of Malaysia and former Minister of Home Affairs. Introduced by Alan Friedman.

TAEX: “Marina Abramovic, TAEX, and the Story of Digital Art”

Alan Friedman in a conversation about AI and the arts with Stefanie de Regel on TAEX.

Alan invites all delegates to join the Official LGF Dinner at 20:00, with welcome drink beginning at 19:30 at Swiss Diamond Hotel La Romantica

Transfer to Cocktail & Dinner Event from LAC

Official LGF cocktail at the Swiss Diamond Hotel La Romantica

Lugano Global Forum Official Dinner at the Swiss Diamond Hotel La Romantica

Presentation of the World Charity Union Awards

Acknowledgement of institutional and sponsor partners

Coffee served

AI Breakfast Workshop

With Page Crahan, General Manager of Tapestry at X, the Moonshot Factory; Alain Sanchez, EMEA CISO of Fortinet, the global cybersecurity group; Stefanie de Regel, Director, TAEX; Markus Pflitsch, CEO, Terra Quantum; and Fabio M. Natalucci, CEO, Andersen Institute for Finance & Economics. Moderated by Alan Friedman. (Coffee served)

In collaboration with LGF 2026, SECO presents: The Innovators. A Showcase of Swiss Innovation

Introduced by State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda, with a keynote by Prof. Tobias Rees on AI and the future, followed by a conversation with Swiss AI innovators in finance, photonics, physical AI and life sciences, featuring Dr. Stefanie Auge-Dickhut, Business Engineering Institute St. Gallen; Dr. Hamed Sattari, CCRAFT; Roberto Guardamagna, DelviTech; Dr. Gianvito Grasso, InVirtuo Labs. Organised by SECO.

Coffee break

America’s Digital Aims vs Europe and China: Who is Winning? What Needs to Be Done?

Congressman Jay Obernolte (Republican), Chairman of the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Keynote: Free Speech in Europe and America. How Can Europe Protect Itself From Starlink and Big Tech? Can Europe Ever Grow Its Own Big Tech? Europe and AI: Caught Between the US and China?

Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market.

Audience Questions

Digital Keynote: Rebuilding the Physical World, AI, Infrastructure and the Moonshot Factory

Page Crahan, General Manager, Tapestry.

AI Roundtable

In conversation with Patrick Grillo, EMEA Artificial Intelligence Practice Lead of Fortinet, the global cybersecurity group, Fabio Natalucci and Markus Pflitsch. Moderated by Professor Carlo Alberto Carnevale-Maffè.

Audience Questions

Networking buffet lunch at LAC

Fireside Chat: “The Man Who Relaunched the Orient Express”

Alan Friedman and Paolo Barletta, Founder and CEO of Arsenale.

Closing Keynote: Europe, America, Asia and The New World Disorder That Awaits Us. Plus: Liberal Democracy Under Siege

Carlo Calenda.

The US Elections: Final Aftermath Analysis

With EJ Dionne, Carlo Calenda and Antonio Di Bella. Moderated by Alan Friedman.

Closing panel: A Reshaped World: What Will Replace the Old World Order? And When?

Participants include Carlo Calenda, Zichen Wang, Suzanne Thoma, and E.J. Dionne. Moderated by Alan Friedman.

Academic Partner: Student Questions Unfiltered

From 50–60 students in attendance from the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), introduced by Rettore Claudio Bassetti and moderated by Jean-Patrick Villeneuve, Professor of Public Administration and Management at USI and Director of its Institute of Communication and Public Policy.

Closing remarks by Alan Friedman and official close of LGF 2026

LGF After Party: Boîte d’Or Presents a Sensorial Experience and closing Cocktail Party

Upon Request